Sleepwalker
by avalanches
Summary: Hadley Cruise used to be whole. Now, she was just a shell, someone sleepwalking through life instead of truly living. With the death of her sister comes fake condolences, pity stares, and false friendship. Until Jared Cameron, who actually seems to care. JARED/OC [ SEQUEL TO S&B ]
1. Prologue

**Hi guys! So you're probably wondering, where the hell did the other chapters of Sleepwalker go? I've decided to rewrite Sleepwalker! The plot will generally be the same, but looking at my writing style from S &B and my writing style now, I've just felt like I've grown so much and I want Sleepwalker to echo that. Luckily there shouldn't be any HUGE time gaps between updates of chapters 1-5 because that's mostly just editing. I hope you guys understand, and I hope you enjoy Sleepwalker.**

 **Also, this story WILL mention suicide. I will put a trigger warning in any chapter that mentions it so no one will be taken off guard. With that said, if any of you are ever contemplating ending your life, please please please seek help. There are so many numbers you can call and I am always ready to listen if you need to vent. Your life is so precious. Please remember that.**

 **Without further ado, here is Sleepwalker! It is technically the sequel to my Sam Uley story Skulls and Bones, but you don't need to read it in order to understand this. You might just wonder who Regan Hamilton is. Enjoy!**

* * *

Nothing was more annoying than the stares.

If there was one thing Hadley wanted to erase out of this whole experience, it was the pitying looks she was receiving. They came from everyone nowadays: the mailman, the cashier at the grocery store, her neighbor. She knew they didn't actually care; they just wanted to show that they could be sympathetic and nice. They wanted to show compassion so _they_ felt better about themselves, not so Hadley and her family could feel better.

She was pretty sure she would punch the next person that gave her that stupid apologetic look.

Walking through the halls of the local high school on the reservation was a weird feeling. For nearly eighteen years of her life, Hadley had never been alone walking into school. There was one constant always by her side, always walking to class with her, always discussing their English project or their math homework. There was always someone to make sure she didn't run into a locker when her nose was buried in a book, trying to study for the test next period. Always someone to lead her away when people made fun of them because they were half _paleface_ and their mother didn't _really_ belong in La Push. Always someone to tell her, "it's okay Hadley, they're just being stupid."

Now there was nothing. Hadley wasn't sure how to feel.

The late bell had already chimed long before Hadley had actually made it to her government class, which meant that people were going to look up when she walked in. She allowed herself approximately thirty seconds to prepare herself for those stupid looks. _Don't be stupid. They're just your classmates_. Without giving herself time to turn and run, she pushed the door handle and entered the classroom, interrupting Mr. Reynolds halfway through his sentence.

"Do you have a pass?" His voice drawled out before he actually turned and noticed who it was that had walked through the door. It was almost comical how quickly the man's face changed. If Hadley had been in a better mood, she might have laughed. "Miss Cruise," he said softly, capping his pen and handing her the paperwork she had missed in the beginning of the period when she marched to his desk. "I heard about what happened. I'm so sorry. Feel free to talk to me if you need to."

 _Hardly necessary_ , she thought to herself.

Hadley wanted to take the papers he was offering and rip them down the middle. Instead, she nodded stoically as she walked through the small isle made by chipping desks, grateful that Jared Cameron had been missing for the better part of three weeks so she could have their shared desk to herself. She didn't want to talk to anyone today. All she wanted to do was sink down in her seat and forget the rest of the world existed.

Only, Jared Cameron was back. Sitting in the spot next to her as if he hadn't been gone for three weeks. And ruining her plans in one fell swoop.

Hadley raised an eyebrow, staring at the boy as she sat in her seat. He was looking down at his paper, his head propped in his hand. If Hadley had to guess, she would bet that he was sleeping, or at least dozing off. Her assumptions were confirmed when he let out a big breath that sounded like a snore. That was fine with her. Jared Cameron could sleep all he wanted. His snores wouldn't bother her, either. She had gone to school today to prove a point to herself, not to actually listen to her teacher's lecturing. None of it mattered anymore. School, what she wanted her peers to think of her, they were all trivial things. She just wanted to prove herself to her family. As if she could say, _hey guys, I'm okay_.

As if she could tell Reese that.

While Reynolds droned on, Hadley stole another look at the boy snoozing next to her. She never knew what actually happened when Jared disappeared. It had happened once in the beginning of their junior year, when he had come back looking like he had decided to inhale steroids. There had been rumors, of course. He joined a cult led by Sam Uley with Paul Lahote as their third member. He had gotten a girl pregnant and was going to make sure she got an abortion. He was suspended for punching some guy in the nose. Hadley never bothered to pay attention to the rumors. One, because she knew what these people were capable of coming up with and two, because she didn't care what Jared Cameron did. Still, she found her eyes locked on him, watching as he let out a snore almost loud enough to be noticed by the boy to the right of them.

Jared looked the same. No dramatic change like the last time he had gone off the grid. In fact, the only thing that looked different about him were the dark circles underneath his eyes. He looked tired as hell, like he hadn't gotten sleep for the past two months.

Hadley had no problem letting him sleep.

"As I was saying…" Mr. Reynolds continued after clearing his throat loudly to try and get the class paying attention, since like Jared Cameron, most of them were falling asleep. "The Congress actually has much more power than the President. They have oversight over him..."

The words trailed off into nothing as Hadley looked at the empty seat in front of her. Reese's seat. In a place as tiny as La Push, having your classes with most of the people at the high school wasn't uncommon. Reese was in four of Hadley's six classes.

Reese _had been_ in four of Hadley's six classes.

The reality hit her like a ton of bricks, like it had been doing all weekend. Sometimes it didn't seem real. Other times, it seemed like it was the worst pain in the world. Hadley felt the familiar stinging sensation in her eyes and she clenched her hands into fists and bit her cheek, trying to keep herself from sobbing out at the empty chair. She could almost see Reese now, raising her hand and asking questions and engaging in the lesson, unlike the rest of the class. Hadley always teased her about being way too involved in lectures for her own good. Reese's response had been to simply hold up a test she had aced, wiggling her eyebrows as if daring Hadley to show her own score. It was something so small that Hadley had selfishly taken it for granted.

Now all she wanted to do was cry out, " _I'll do anything to get that back. I'll do anything to have you back_."

"Mister Cameron, if you're going to actually show up to class, you can at least have the decency to sit up and act like you're listening," Reynolds suddenly called across the classroom. Jared jumped in the seat next to her, knocking his knees on the table as he awoke from his slumber. He looked too tall to be sitting in that desk, as if it had suddenly morphed into a Barbie-sized piece of furniture. If Hadley wasn't so focused on not crying, she might have laughed. Reynolds sent Jared a stern look before his eyes moved over to Hadley again, sympathy already there. She wanted to scream.

"Sorry sir," Jared said sheepishly, his eyes still half-closed. He didn't sound apologetic at all. Reynolds rolled his eyes before turning back to the board, and Hadley saw his fist clench in annoyance. Hadley let out the tiniest sniffle and wiped quickly underneath her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt while no one was paying attention. The action, however, seemed to draw Jared's attention.

"Hey, you okay?"

Hadley looked up at him, ready to snap at him before she processed the question. She couldn't tell if she was surprised at the question. Because he hadn't said it like he knew about her sister. He had said it like he wanted to know what was going on in her life. It wasn't the stupid little sympathetic questions people asked her to seem like decent human beings. It was curiosity, simple and plain.

Jared Cameron, she hated to admit, had stunning eyes.

They had gone to school together since kindergarten, as did most kids on the reservation. She wondered how she'd never noticed before. She supposed it was because she never really paid attention to anyone other than Reese. Everyone else wasn't worthy of her time. Her sister had always complained about it, claiming Hadley needed to be her own person and find people with similar interests, but there wasn't any need. Reese had Hadley and Hadley had Reese. They were fine having one another and no one else.

Jared was staring at her. His weirdly pretty eyes were locked on hers, eyebrows shot up so high she was afraid they'd get lost in his forehead. His mouth was parted just slightly, like he had received some exciting and surprising news but didn't want to spoil it for anyone else. And there was some hidden emotion in his eyes that Hadley couldn't decipher, like a secret she'd never know. His face suddenly twisted into a grimace when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Are you crying?" His voice broke as he asked the question, as if her pain caused him pain. "Are you okay?" he repeated.

"'I'm fine," Hadley snapped, wiping underneath her eyes again. "Don't worry about it." She wanted to turn away, uncomfortable with the vulnerable look her was giving her. Twisting so she was once again facing the front of the class, Hadley tried to ignore the way Jared was looking at her. She didn't need Jared Cameron suddenly giving a shit about her when he never had before. That was not something she wanted.

Luckily, she found it easy to ignore him when she listened in on the conversation Julie Dagger was having with Theresa Copp. The two of them had been particularly evil with the paleface comments. It didn't matter than Reese and Hadley were half Quileute. To girl like Julie and Theresa, they were different. Hadley had hated them for as long as she could remember.

 _"I can't believe she's at school today_ ," Julie whispered quietly, " _I wouldn't even be able to stop crying. I'm amazed she's even focusing. God, she's so strong. I would just be such a wreck._ "

Hadley tried to ignore them, focusing on Reynolds as he scribbled all over the chalkboard. "The Congress is divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate..." They didn't give a shit about Reese. They had made Reese's life a living hell. The last time Theresa had seen Reese, she had tripped her and watched as Reese landed on the blacktop. Hadley had been five seconds away from pounding Theresa's face into an unrecognizable pulp, but Reese had pulled her back, just like Reese always had.

" _I didn't believe it when I heard_ ," Theresa replied to Julie, shaking her head. " _Reese always seemed so happy and put together. I mean, did you think something was wrong?_ "

" _No, that's why I was so surprised_. _Reese was always so sweet. It's so awful she's gone_."

"Now, the House is supposed to be closer to the people, while the Senate is actually quite..."

" _And I thought Hadley was the one with problems. Something must have been seriously wrong for Reese to kill herself._ "

 _Reese. Killed. Herself._

The police sirens. Hadley's parents, their shocked faces. Chief Swan trying to hold Hadley back as she begged to know what was going on. Breaking free of the Chief's grip and running inside. The officers moving to stop her.

Reese, her body slumped against the side of the bathtub, water still pounding on the tile from the showerhead.

Hadley was up and out of her chair before she could even process what was happening, ignoring Reynolds as he called her name out. Her feet mechanically moved, moving closer to Theresa and Julie until she was standing directly over them. Julie opened her mouth to say something, but before she could even get a whimper out, Hadley's hand was rearing back and then flying forward with a strength Hadley didn't know she even possessed. Theresa's head flung backwards, and Hadley heard the satisfying crunch of her nose. She was sure it was broken.

"Don't fucking talk about Reese," Hadley seethed out. Theresa had the decency to look embarrassed. "Just don't. You made her life awful, you absolute bitch." Hadley jumped forwards again, but Jared Cameron was suddenly out of his seat and grabbing her waist, his iron grip preventing her from movement. Reynolds was gaping and demanding that she go up to the principal's office as Hadley went slack in Jared's arms. When he felt she wouldn't attack Theresa if he released her, he let his arms fall. Hadley said nothing as she marched to her desk and grabbed her stuff. Jared stared after her in complete and utter shock, pretty eyes wide as he watched her turn around and exit the classroom, the door slamming shut behind her.

"How about you go up to the nurse, Theresa," Reynolds suggested. "The rest of you, stay here for a few moments while I call the principal."

He knew it was inappropriate, but Jared couldn't help but think: _damn, that girl's got one hell of a punch._


	2. Chapter One

**Hello loves! I've edited this chapter for you guys and am back to update. I started school so if I'm not on here as much, I apologize. It's hard being a college student with a full time job as well!**

 **As always, I will put a trigger warning in any chapter that mentions suicide so no one will be taken off guard. It is mentioned in this chapter, but doesn't go into detail. If you are ever contemplating suicide, please please please seek help. Your life is precious to so many people. Feel free to come talk to me if you need to. You have worth, you are loved, and you are amazing.**

 **Without further ado, here is the first chapter of Sleepwalker!**

* * *

There weren't many things Hadley Cruise was afraid of. Of the long list she had possessed as a child, only three had really stuck as she grew up and got older. Spiders were still something she wouldn't touch with a thirty-foot pole, clowns were sent to Earth from Hades himself, and that freaky leprechaun from the Jennifer Aniston horror movie still sometimes haunted her dreams.

She never thought Reese's room would ever make that list, but there she was, slumped against the wall next to the door because for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to _open_ it.

Reese's room was like a forbidden chamber that no one could enter. Hadley had planted herself next to the door when she had gotten home from school after her little episode, and she hadn't moved since. She glared at it with a hard look on her face, her mouth turned down in a scowl. She thought it was ridiculous how much a room could scare her. How much Reese's room could scare her. Reese's room was always a safe haven for her. The painted lilac walls were a reprieve from the people that didn't understand the two of them. It was a place they could go when their parents were making them upset. But that was a lie, she supposed. The safe haven was never Reese's room. The safe haven was _Reese_.

And now Hadley didn't even have her.

Her head lolled to the side, and her eyes found the bathroom door. If Reese's room scared her, the bathroom was like a sinkhole of horrific images and Hadley's own personal hell. She hadn't stepped foot in the bathroom since they'd found Reese in there. Her mother had scrubbed all the evidence from the white tile until it gleamed even more than before, but cleaning the proof didn't make the images go away. Reese lying there in a puddle of her own blood would forever be burned into Hadley's mind. And she didn't dare go into the bathroom where Reese had decided to take her own life. Hadley didn't want to imagine her reaction.

A room and a bathroom. Reese had ruined those things for her.

Her head fell into her hands, her fingers into her hair. A dry laugh bubbled from her throat. Reese had ruined a lot of things for Hadley. She'd ruined ever listening to Britney Spears's "Hit Me Baby One More Time." She'd ruined those crappy little light-up stars they'd stuck to Hadley's ceiling one day when they were bored. She'd ruined family movie nights and she'd ruined ever watching _Back to the Future_ again.

Most of all, she'd ruined Hadley.

Hadley heard the door open and close from downstairs and knew it was either her father or mother—most likely the latter, since her father had taken to frequenting the bar in Forks the past three nights. She heard the footsteps coming up the stairs and saw the surprise on Tabitha Cruise's face when she realized her eldest daughter was sitting on the hardwood floor, back propped up against the wall. And her face tightened when she realized her eldest daughter was her only daughter now.

"Hey, honey," her mother said softly, setting her purse down on the ground before sliding down the wall and landing next to Hadley. They were silent for a moment before Tabitha spoke again. "How was school?"

Hadley shrugged. "I lasted about twelve minutes. Which was honestly better than I thought." She said the words with a wry smile on her face. Her mother nodded with a small smile on her own face. On normal circumstances, her mother would have a stern talk with Hadley about skipping school. She figured today wasn't exactly a normal circumstance.

"I lasted an hour at work. The boss told me to leave when I started screaming at Gina and scared the receptionist."

Hadley let out a short laugh then suddenly stopped, as if her throat was forbidding her from chuckling. Her mother held out her hand and Hadley interlocked their fingers, continuing to stare at the door in front of her. "I haven't laughed since Friday. It feels wrong to laugh now that she's not here."

Tabitha sent her another nod. "I know what you mean. I know she wouldn't want us to feel this way, but you can't really help it." Tabitha had been strong through the weekend. She had started planning the funeral and had picked out the dress they would bury Reese in. She hadn't had any help from Hadley's father, and she hadn't bothered to ask Hadley, afraid it would burden her, especially with school going on in the background. Hadley wasn't even sure her mother had cried. She had immediately thrown herself into the planning, not even taking a second to mourn the loss. Which was fine, except there were those rare occasions Hadley wanted to curl up in her mother's arms and just be held. It felt like Tabitha didn't have time for that with everything going on. Hadley wished she could do the same. To feel numb and try not to think about it.

"I'm making some dinner," Tabitha commented offhandedly, like she was looking for the first change in subject she could think of. It was a recent tactic she'd been using whenever the conversation got too heavy. "I'm thinking homemade soup and could use some help cutting up the celery."

Hadley nodded, bringing herself to her feet and holding out her hand for her mother to take. Tabitha grasped Hadley's fingers and hauled herself up, grabbing her purse before she and her daughter walked down the hallway and to the kitchen. Hadley had just washed her hands and put on one of the goofy aprons her mother had made back in her sewing days when the doorbell rang. Tabitha kissed her daughter's cheek affectionately, immediately taking on the persona of someone who hadn't been affected by the death of a child. Many of their neighbors had taken it upon themselves to pop in and visit, under the pretense of seeing how Tabitha was doing.

"I'll grab it," Tabitha mentioned, wiping her hands on the apron she was wearing. "If it's another condolence lasagna, I'm going to scream." Hadley snorted as Tabitha glided through the kitchen and to the door. When she opened it, slightly expecting to see one of her nosy neighbors, she was surprised to see a young teenager standing at the door, papers and books in his hands.

"Hi," the boy commented nervously, smiling sweetly. "I'm Jared Cameron, one of Hadley's classmates. She left early today so I wanted to bring her some of the stuff she missed." He held out the books like he was trying to sell the point. Tabitha let out a short chuckle before she crossed her arms and leaned against the threshold of the front door.

"Well, I can guarantee you right now she won't do any of it, but it was a nice thought," Tabitha commented. Jared simply smiled again. "I'll go grab her for you." Tabitha disappeared into the kitchen while Jared surveyed the Cruise household.

There were pictures everywhere. They lined the walls, so many of them that the paint behind them was nearly invisible. He could spot Hadley right away in most of them, only she was mirrored by someone else in nearly every one. That was Reese, he assumed. The teenage girl that had killed herself over the past weekend and had the entire reservation on edge.

And his imprint's identical twin sister.

When Hadley had left school and Theresa had managed to get her nose to stop bleeding, Jared had cornered Paul. He had female friends littered around the school, Theresa included, so if anyone knew what was going on, it was him. Paul had stared at Jared like he was the dumbest man on the planet. "Dude," Paul had said when Jared had asked, "are you serious? Hadley _Cruise_? Her sister is the girl that died this past weekend. Where the fuck have you been?"

Jared _didn't_ know where he'd been. Because as soon as Paul had told him, it was all Jared could see around school. People were mourning, using Reese's death as an excuse to doze off in class because they were just "too emotional to learn." Someone had stuck a suicide hotline poster up right next to the set of lockers that contained Reese's. It was all anyone was talking about.

And Hadley had gotten caught in that crossfire. Jared shifted nervously on his feet.

Jared didn't know how strong an imprint bond was. Sure, he had seen it in Sam's mind when the two had gone on patrol together, but it was different looking at Regan through Sam's eyes and seeing Hadley for the first time. He never imagined the feeling in his chest when he saw _her_ , the one that his ancestors had told him he belonged with.

When she came into sight, a little bit of some kind of red sauce on her cheek and her hair pulled back into a tangled ponytail, he was sure he had never seen someone so beautiful. Hadley raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"Jared Cameron?" She asked. When she leaned against the threshold of the door and crossed her arms over her chest, Jared resisted the urge to smile. It was apparent where Hadley got her tendencies. He also resisted the urge to smile when she said his name. "What are you doing here? And how the hell did you know where I lived?"

He laughed a little. "It's La Push. Everyone knows where everyone lives."

"Well, everyone should mind their own business," Hadley muttered. "What do you need?"

Jared blinked, just remembering the books and papers he held in his hands. "I wanted to give these to you. I know you missed today," he said, shoving the things in her hands quickly, as if she were a rabid shark that would bite him. He never got nervous around girls, so he wondered why Hadley was any different. Maybe it was the pressure of knowing this was supposedly the girl he was supposed to spend his entire life with. It was just the tiniest bit intimidating.

Hadley looked at the books in her hands. She had no intention of doing any of the work Jared had given her, but still... it was a nice gesture. She sighed and clutched the books to her chest. "Um... thanks."

Jared nodded. "How's your hand?"

That earned a tiny smile out of Hadley that had Jared's heart soaring. "I'd imagine it's faring better than Theresa Copp's nose." Then, as if it was merely a thought passing over her head, she nonchalantly asked, "how bad was it? I stormed out of the classroom before I could see."

"It was bleeding all over the place. It's definitely broken. I heard the crunch. My guess is it'll never look exactly the same ever again." Hadley smiled a little wider and let out a little chortle. "Proud of yourself, are you?" Jared joked.

She shrugged, her arm moving up and down on the threshold. "A girl's entitled." Then she seemed to remember why she punched Theresa Copp in the face and her shoulders deflated, like they were balloons and someone was letting the air out of them. "Look, thanks for bringing the work by. You didn't need to."

Jared mirrored her shrug. "I figured you'd need it. Don't want to fall behind or anything."

Hadley nodded, but there was an annoying clawing in her brain that was reminding her that Jared Cameron had done something nice for her. She owed him now. She didn't like owing people. Reese had always used to get angry with Hadley for feeling like she had to repay favors. She would always say, "just let people be nice to you, Hadley." But she couldn't. It was like there was some weird switch in her.

She didn't want to owe anyone any favors. "Right," she said, her voice a few temperatures lower than seconds before. Jared wanted to flinch at the sound of it. "Well, I'm helping my mom cook dinner, so..." she trailed off, but there was no room in her tone for argument. And then he noticed it. The change in her eyes, the tensing of her shoulders, the way her mouth flattened into a thin, angry line. When Jared followed her eyesight, he saw the man hesitantly walking up the front steps.

Jonathan Cruise was a very tall man. Jared was only an inch taller than him, but Jared was this height because of the werewolf gene. Hadley's father was this height all on his own. He also looked very intimidating as he glanced curiously at the boy on his doorstep before he cleared his throat and looked towards the girl who held Jared's heart in her hands. "Hadley." Even his voice was intimidating. Low and crystal clear. No mistaking it if it ever threatened to throw Jared off his front porch.

"Dad," she replied stiffly, noticing that for once in the past three nights, he wasn't drunk. She opened the door a little wider and allowed her father to step into the house before she quietly stepped on the porch, bringing her closer to Jared as she shuffled and maneuvered.

"Thanks for bringing those by," Hadley said, all warmth from the previous conversation gone. He wanted to reach out and offer her comfort, but he felt she wouldn't accept. He was elated and saddened to know that he already had this little bit of information pegged.

"You said thanks already," he said, trying to joke and get another smile out of her.

It didn't work. At all. She just nodded stoically. "Right. I'll see you tomorrow, then."

When she moved back inside and shut the door in his face, he blinked.

* * *

"I understand what you're going through, Hadley."

That made Hadley want to snort. She doubted the pristine little therapist sitting across from her knew anything of what Hadley was going through. She looked like she hadn't had to deal with anything more destructive than a broken nail in her entire life. Hadley hated people like that. Still, the therapist continued. "It's a hard thing to lose a sibling. Especially a twin."

Hadley stared forwards, her lips clamped shut. She didn't want to sit and talk about Reese with someone who would just give her that same pitying look she'd been getting at school. Talking about Reese wasn't something Hadley wanted to do. Because she was mildly terrified that if she got to talking about Reese, she wouldn't stop. And if she didn't stop, then eventually the tears would come. Hadley was just so sick of crying.

"Hadley, you've got to talk to someone."

Hadley gave the therapist an unimpressed look. "I did talk to someone. I talked to Reese. Look at where that got me." Maybe the tiny blonde therapist with a plaque on her desk reading _Doctor Holbrook_ didn't deserve that, but Hadley was done trying to talk about her problems. Whenever she tried to talk to her mom, Tabitha would just change the subject because God forbid they talk about something with actual substance. And if Hadley tried to talk to her father, he would just blankly stare at her before raising whatever his drink of choice for that night happened to be and downing it in one gulp.

Doctor Holbrook simply nodded. "Reese was who you confided in. It's understandable that you're avoiding talking to me, and it's completely understandable that you're reacting with hostile behavior."

"Hostile?" Hadley raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "That's a new one."

"The point is, Miss Cruise," Holbrook replied, ignoring Hadley's little quip, "is that I get paid whether or not you talk to me. Maybe that's cruel or cynical to say, but I'm perfectly fine sitting here in complete silence or listening to your thinly veiled attempts at insulting me. And maybe you'll walk out of this room never wanting to come back here again, but hating it because you know your parents will just send you right back next week, but don't you think it'll be more prudent to both of us if you actually discuss something with me? Isn't the chance of feeling better worth opening up?"

" _The chance of feeling better_?" Hadley repeated incredulously, rolling her eyes. "That's the thing, Doc. I'm not going to feel better. Because I can sit here and spill my guts to you as long as I want and it's not going to change anything." No amount of talking would help with the fact that Reese was gone.

Holbrook nodded again, a habit that was starting to piss Hadley off. "Alright. Then let's not talk about you." Hadley crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "I want to know about Reese."

"Reese?"

"Yes. What was her favorite color?"

The question was so spur of the moment that Hadley forgot she was supposed to be pissed off with Doctor Holbrook. She simply stared at the tiny blonde doctor, eyebrows raised to her hairline. "Excuse me? What's Reese's favorite color?"

"Yes. I want to know," Holbrook responded, as if she were discussing the weather.

"Purple?" Hadley answered. It sounded more like a question than anything. What the hell would talking about Reese's favorite color do? But Holbrook was smiling victoriously, like she had won the lottery. Hadley grumbled something unintelligible before leaning back in the chair, arms over her chest once more.

"Do you know why?"

Hadley scoffed. "Do I know why my sister likes purple?" Holbrook gave her an expectant look. "No. I don't. I just know it's her favorite color."

"Alright. What were some of her favorite movies?"

Hadley could feel her eye twitching. " _Back to the Future_ ," she bit out through gritted teeth. "Can we actually go back to brooding in silence now? I think I preferred it when we weren't talking."

Doctor Holbrook shrugged. "You're the one answering the questions. I think it says a lot about you as a person that you're easily able to answer question about Reese and not about yourself."

Hadley glared. "Maybe because I don't want to sit here and talk about how shitty it is that my sister killed herself? Maybe I don't want to talk about how it affected me, because I'm the one that has to stick around for the aftermath? If anything, we should be talking about Reese and not about me. I mean, she's the one that's dead."

It was silent after Hadley's little outburst. Doctor Holbrook was staring at her thoughtfully, like she was trying to decide who Hadley was just by her body language. "You're very angry," Holbrook said. Hadley wanted to scream. "Tell me something about Reese no one else knows."

She secretly hated school even though she'd never let anyone know. She didn't like her middle name, but never told their parents. She had once had a crush on Sam Uley, back when they were all in elementary school and before Sam was in a serious relationship with Leah Clearwater. She wanted a tattoo of a lily flower on her ankle.

And then there was that stupid question. The one that no one but Reese knew the answer to. Not even Hadley. The one Hadley couldn't get out of her head.

 _Why?_

Why had Reese done this? Why had she ended her own life? Why did she let real life get so bad that she felt she couldn't be in it anymore? Why had she left Hadley?

Why wasn't Hadley enough reason for Reese to stay?

"Our hour's up," Holbrook mentioned, closing the little notebook she had open on her desk. "Hopefully next week you'll feel like sharing." Hadley scoffed, muttering something about that fact being highly unlikely as she grabbed her backpack from beside her feet and marched out of Holbrook's office. Her mother was sitting in the waiting room, a magazine on her lap as she waited to Hadley.

"Hey sweetie, how did it go?" Tabitha asked, but Hadley ignored her. She marched right past her mother and out to the car, flinging the door open and throwing herself into the seat with the anger of a riled up bull. It took Tabitha less than thirty seconds to exit the therapist's office, rushing out the door and into the car. "Hadley, baby what's wrong? What happened in there?"

"Nothing," Hadley barked, her eyes closing and her hands reaching up to rub her temples. She felt the mother of headaches coming on. "Nothing happened. I just knew this was a stupid idea. I tried to tell you this morning and you wouldn't listen to me. You never listen to me lately."

"And what is that supposed to mean, young lady?" Tabitha asked, turning in her seat with an angry look on her face.

" _What is that supposed to mean_?" Hadley laughed, but it was one of those sarcastic laughs designed to make the person on the other end of the argument angry. "It means I don't want to talk to some stupid stranger about Reese, Mom. I'd like to talk to my mother about it. But no, every time someone even dares mention Reese, the subject has to be changed immediately because God forbid we actually deal with our emotions."

"Hadley Alyssa Cruise, you stop acting this way this instant!"

"Reese is dead, Mom!" Hadley screamed, the bottle cap keeping Hadley's emotions bottled up suddenly exploding in a nanosecond. "My sister is dead. My twin is dead. My literal other half, and you can't even look me in the eye when we talk about her. Instead, you'd rather pawn me off to a therapist to talk about my feelings because at least it won't be you hearing about my anger and my hurt, right? At least it won't be you having to come to terms with the fact Reese is gone." Tabitha opened her mouth to argue, but Hadley was having none of it. Not anymore. "Reese is dead and it sucks, but you've got another daughter that misses her just as much as you do."

The car was suddenly too hot and too small. Hadley opened the door, hopping out of the seat. She grabbed her backpack from the ground and pulled it around her shoulders, stomping in the direction that would lead her back to La Push.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Home?" Hadley replied like it was an obvious answer.

"You are not walking back home." Hadley ignored her, marching along the highway. "It is a five hour walk home. You will get your butt in this car immediately." Hadley continued on, making her way along the side of the road. She heard her boots crunching on the gravel underneath her and heard her mother start the car, crawling it at five miles an hour as she followed Hadley's tracks. "Your father will be hearing about this, Hadley Alyssa Cruise." Hadley snorted. Like her father would be sober enough to care. "Look, Hadley, I'm sorry, okay? Just please, please get back in the car?"

"Why?" Hadley bit out. "What's the point?"

"The point is that it's a dangerous walk and I've already lost one daughter. I'm not too keen on losing another."

Hadley stopped walking. She heard the car stop behind her, the engine still running but no movement coming from it. Then, she let out a sigh. Stomping off angrily in the direction of La Push wouldn't do anyone any good. Hadley would just be complaining about her feet hurting and her mother would just be complaining about how much gas she had wasted following behind Hadley on the way home. Turning on her heel, Hadley solemnly made her way back to the passenger side of the car and climbed inside. Tabitha locked the door, even going so far as to put the child's lock on so Hadley couldn't unlock it herself.

"Let's try this again," Tabitha said calmly, letting out a small sigh. Her head hit the headrest behind her, and Hadley could tell she was exasperated. "How did it go?"

"Fine," Hadley replied gruffly, reverting back to monosyllables. She heard the car's engine start back up, but Hadley was staring out the window, watching as the trees grew more and more blurry as the car gained speed. She wished this was some cheesy movie like _Grease_ , where the car would just magically start flying away. She wished she could leave all the problems La Push held. All the memories. But she was stuck on the ground, stuck in La Push, and stuck in a family that was falling apart at the seams.

"I'm making steak and potatoes for dinner," Tabitha mentioned to fill the silence.

"Okay." Hadley wished she would hear the words she was desperately trying to scream at her. _Please talk to me. Tell me I'm not alone in feeling this way. Tell me I'm going to be okay_.

Tabitha never did.

* * *

 **If you read the original Sleepwalker, you'll notice some things changed in this chapter. I hope you enjoyed the update and the change! Let me know what you think!**


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